“God, you know what’s on my calendar. You know I have more ‘to dos’ than I have slots in my day. I am not sure what needs to be set aside, but something has to go. I need your guidance to help me set priorities. You tell me in John 15 that you want my life to be fruitful, full of rich abundance, that multiplies into the lives of others. But you also warn me that fruitfulness means pruning. A branch on a vine that bears no fruit is lopped off. And a branch that does produce is snipped back so that the energy flowing through it will be directed to fruitfulness and not merely greenery. Prune my life, Father, great and wise gardener that you are. Help me now to cut back what might be good, but not best, what takes more energy than it produces, impressive as it might seem. This is a discipline, a discipline of focus. I am often so greedy to pack my life with more, to ‘have it all.’ I have to choose the right from among all the good. Give me direction by giving me peace in one direction. I give you my calendar and the priorities it represents. I give you rights to my priorities. I will audit and you will help me choose, realistically what is and is not intended by your will. Thank you for the pruning! In Jesus.”

Mark and Jill Herringshaw

Mark and Jill Herringshaw and their four children have been ministering in their local church since 1990. Jill is an accomplished worship leader and recording artist with several CDs in Target stores’ “Lifescapes” collection. Mark is the former pastor of the 7,000 member North Heights Lutheran Church. He holds a Ph.D. in leadership from Regent University, is the author of three books and a recognized conference speaker.